A Second Chance
by catiewatie
Summary: [ON HIATUS] After “The Fast and The Furious” the team goes to Baja and finds an old friend with new surprises and old secrets. Please R&R!
1. A Confusing Day

**Title:** A Second Chance  
**Author:** Catie  
**Email:** catiewatie@aahlife.com  
**Disclaimer:** I only own the few characters I made up.  
**Couples:** Dom/Letty, Brian/Mia, Jesse/Lily 

**Rating:** PG to PG-13  
**Summary:** After "The Fast and The Furious" the team goes to Baja and finds an old friend with new surprises and old secrets.  
**Authors Note:** PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACK! I'd also like to note that I know very little about cars so if I mess up in that area I'm sorry. I'll do my best. And thanks to my best friend Kristen for helping me with ideas.  
**New Character:** Lillian O'Connor - Nickname Lily, 23 years old, light blue eyes, dirty blond hair, loves cars. She was part of the team almost 2 years ago, but moved away and hasn't spoken to them since.  
  


Chapter 1

A Confusing Day  
  


Leon was gathering cloths for himself and Letty while Mia tried to patch Letty up as best she could. "That's the best I can do Lett. You need to get to a hospital."  
  
"I will, once we get to Baja."  
  
Dom came in looking like he wa0s deep in thought, and Letty knew exactly what he was thinking about. "You'll find him Dom. Jesse'll be okay. You'll find him."  
  
He gave her a small smile. He admired her attitude. Brian had betrayed them, Jesse was missing, Vince was in the hospital, and she had just in an accident, but she still thought everything would be okay. He bent down in front of her and kissed her. "I sure hope so."  
  
Leon came running down the stairs with his and Letty's cloths. "I'm ready to go."  
  
He went out to his car, put their things in the trunk, and got into the driver's seat.  
  
Dom picked Letty up and carried her to Leon's car. He put her in the passenger seat and closed the door. She rolled the window down, pulled his face to hers, and kissed him. "I love you Dom."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
"Don't get arrested. The three of us'll be waitin' for ya."  
  
He didn't understand. He knew Leon and Letty would be waiting for him, but who was the third person? "Three?"  
  
She took his hand and put it on her stomach. "Three. I didn't want to tell you until after this last hijacking. I'm pregnant."  
  
Dom smiled wider than she'd ever seen him smile. He kissed her again. "I'll be there. I promise." He steped away from the car and Leon drove away. 

Letty watched Dom in the distance until she could no longer see him. Then she laid her head against the door and slept the whole way to Baja with her hands over her stomach.  
  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


  
Dom watched as Leon, Letty, and his unborn child drove away. When he could no longer see them he turned towards the house. Mia was standing on the porch. She too had watched Leon and Letty drive away.  
  
"Mia, gather cloths for you, me, Jesse, and Vince. As soon as we find Jesse and get Vince out of the hospital we're outta here." 

She nodded and went into the house.  
  
Dom went into the garage and took out his father's car and his gun. He was about to get into the car when Brian pulled up.  
  
"Dom put the gun down now!"  
  
"Move your car."  
  
"No, bullshit! Put the gun down now! No more running!"  
  
"I'm not running!"  
  
"Where's Leon and Letty?"  
  
"They're long gone."  
  
"Then it's over. I didn't call the police, but don't push me, put the gun down!"  
  
"You are the cop! You're a cop! Brian, I gotta find Jesse before they do."  
  
"I'll call in the plates. P.D'll pick him up way before Johnny even gets near him."  
  
Mia heard Dom and Brian arguing and went out on the porch to see Dom ready to pummel Brain. "Dom, stop it! It's over, please!"  
  
"Mia, stay out of it! Move the…"  
  
Before he could finish Jesse pulled up. "Dominic, I am so sorry. I don't know what I'm doin' Dom. I'm so scared right now. I don't know what's goin' on."  
  
Dom looked at Brian and threw his gun to the ground, then turned to Jesse. "Jess, what were you thinkin' man?"  
  
"I don't know. I panicked. I'm sorry."  
  
They all heard motorcycles coming down the road. Right away they knew it was Johnny Tran.  
  
Brian got down behind his car and started shooting at them. When they pulled out their guns Jesse quickly got behind his car and the bullets just missed him. Brian continued to shoot at them as they went by and finally hit Johnny Tran. Lance kept on going. Brian went up to Tran to check his pulse. Jesse stayed behind his car, just in case.  
  
"It's okay. He's dead."  
  
Mia and Dom ran to Jesse and hugged him tightly. "Are you alright? Did you get hit?"  
  
"No, I'm okay."  
  
"Good. Dom, are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
She went over to Brian.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah." Brian didn't know what to do. When Tran came around and started shooting at them he was more scared than he'd ever been. Not scared for himself, but scared for Jesse, Dom, and Mia. They had become family to him, especially Mia. He really did love her. Tanner was right. There's all kinds of family, and that's a choice he had to make. For a moment he just stared at Mia. He'd made his choice. He chose them. "You guys better get outta here."  
  
Dom couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're letting us go?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I made a mistake. I fell in love with you guys. I let you become my friends, my family. I can't turn you in now. So get outta here."  
  
"What about Vince?"  
  
Mia stepped forward. "I'll stay and get him out of the hospital. I'll meet you in Baja."  
  
"Mia..."  
  
"They're not after me Dom. I'll be okay. You and Jesse should go."  
  
"I can't just leave you here alone."  
  
Brian stepped forward. "I'll help her."  
  
Mia looked at him and smiled. He may have betrayed them before, but he was saving their lives. She couldn't help but love him. "We'll be fine Dom. I'll see you in Baja soon."  
  
He sent Jesse inside to get their things that Mia had packed for them. He came back outside, hugged Mia and Brain goodbye, and got into his car, waiting to follow Dom to Baja. Dom hugged Mia, and turned to Brian. "You better take care of them."  
  
"I will. Don't worry."  
  
Dom got in his car and drove to Baja. He didn't know how to feel. He was happy that Jesse was okay, scared that Vince could die or get arrested, worried that Leon and Letty could get caught, and happy that he was gonna be a father. It had been a very confusing day.


	2. Never Again

Chapter 2 

Never Again

A few days later Mia and Brian were able o get Vince out of the hospital before the cops got to him. They helped him into Mia's car. Mia turned to Brian. "Come with us."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Please! I don't want to lose you."  
  
"Well, I am probably gonna get fired, and possibly arrested."  
  
Vince rolled down his window. "Come on Brian. You're part of the team now, and we don't leave anyone behind."  
  
Brian could see how hard it was for him to say that. He smiled and got into his car. "Why not? Let's go!"  
  
Mia got into her car and followed him to Baja.  
  


  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


  
In Baja, Dom and Letty got a nice house on the beach, and Leon and Jesse got one right next to them with enough room for them, Vince, Mia, and Brian. They still have plenty of money from the hijackings so  they don't need to get jobs. Leon got Letty to the hospital as soon as they got to Baja, but when Dom got there he was so worried that the crash may have hurt the baby that he made her get a check up. The doctor called Dom into the examination room. When he went in he noticed that Letty was in tears. He sat down next to her and held her hand tightly. At first he thought something was wrong, but then he saw that she was smiling. "Looks like you had 4 waitin' for ya."  
  
She turned to the ultrasound machine where they could see that she was pregnant with twins. Dom was almost in tears himself. In 7 months he was going to be the daddy of two beautiful little children.  
  


  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


  
Later that night they heard about street racing going on near their homes. They decided to go as a way to celebrate. When they got there Letty and Dom start arguing.  
  
"Oh come on Dom."  
  
"No."  
  
"Dom…"  
  
"No."  
  
"Its not gonna…"  
  
"No."  
  
Jesse turned to Leon. "What are they fighting about?"  
  
"Dom won't let Letty race while she's pregnant."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Jesse and Leon started checking out the competition. "Oh, he looks pretty good."  
  
"Check that out."  
  
Dom and Letty were still at it. "Dom, that's not…"  
  
"No."  
  
"But I…"  
  
"No."  
  
Jesse and Leon just ignored them. "That one's not bad."  
  
"He could give us some trouble."  
  
After another half an hour of arguing Letty finally gave up and agreed not to race while she was pregnant.  
  
Dom, Jesse, and Leon decided not to race tonight. They figured they should see what they're up against first. After about three races they started to hear sirens. 

"Cops! Run!"  
  
Dom, Jesse, and Leon each got into their cars. Letty jumped into Jesse's car because it was the closest. They left first, then Leon. Dom started to drive away, but a girl ran into his car while trying to get out of there. When he saw her face he couldn't believe it. He leaned his head out the window. "Lily?"  
  
"Dom?"  
  
"Where's your car?"  
  
"I came with a friend, but I can't find her."  
  
"Get in!"  
  
She quickly got into his car and they raced off to Dom's house. When they got there Letty, Leon, and Jesse were waiting anxiously on the porch. At first they didn't see Lily. Dom got out of the car and Letty ran to him. "Are you okay? What took you so long?"  
  
"I'm fine. I just ran into an old friend." He turned towards Lily who slowly got out of the car. 

Everyone was shocked. Lily was very nervous. She hadn't seen them in almost 2 years. Were they mad at her for leaving? Did they hate her? Both of these questions were answered when Letty ran up to her and hugged her as tight as she could. "I missed you Lil!"  
  
"I missed you too Lett."  
  
"How you been livin'?"  
  
"Pretty good. You?"  
  
"Some shit happened recently, but it's gettin' better."  
  
"You and Dom are still together, right?"  
  
"Hell yeah! And guess what? I'm pregnant with twins!"  
  
"That's great Letty! Congrats!"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Wow, Dom's gonna be a daddy. That's kinda scary."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"I'm just kiddin'." She walked over to Leon and hugged him tightly. 

He returned the hug even tighter. "God, it's good to see you girl!"  
  
"You too! How've ya been?"  
  
"Not bad."  
  
"That's good." She slowly walked up to Jesse and just stood in front of him. This was very awkward for them, which saddened them both because they used to be together before Lily left. Now all they shared was regret over losing the amazing love they once had. "Hey."  
  
"Hey."  
  
Dom could see how hard it was for them to see each other again, so he decided to step in. "Well, I hate to interrupt this very awkward moment, but we should all get to bed. Lily, it's really late. You should just stay here with Letty and me tonight."  
  
"I don't know. My friend is waiting for me."  
  
"So call them and tell them you'll see them tomorrow."  
  
"Alright."  
  
Jesse and Leon went to their house and Lily followed Dom and Letty into theirs.  
  
"We don't have any extra beds cause we just moved in, but we do have a nice couch."  
  
"That's fine."  
  
"I'll get you a pillow and blanket."  
  
"Thanks Lett."  
  
Letty went upstairs to get a pillow and blanket. Dom turned to Lily. "There's a phone in there if you want to call your friend."  
  
"Thanks." She started to go into the kitchen to use the phone when Dom grabbed her arm.  
  
"It's really good to see you again."  
  
"It's really good to see you guys too."  
  
When Letty came back downstairs she heard Lily talking on the phone.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize how late it was. Can he stay with you tonight? I'm just gonna stay with some friends. Please? Thank you so much. I'll come get him in the morning. Yeah. Thanks. Bye."  
  
Letty was very confused by what she heard, but she decided not to say anything. "Here ya go. Sweet dreams."  
  
"Thanks Letty. Goodnight."  
  


  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


  
Letty woke up in the middle of the night, but Dom was not beside her. She got up to see where he was and found him sitting on the stairs watching Lily sleep. She sat down next to him. "What are ya doin'?"  
  
"Nothin'. I'm just…"  
  
"Makin' sure she's still there?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess I'm just afraid that if I take my eyes off her she's gonna disappear again. Do you remember how things were when she left?"  
  
"Yeah. For the first week Jesse never came out of his room, I barely said two words, and Mia cried herself to sleep each night. You, Leon and Vince had to try to hold us together while dealin' with it yourselves. None of us even smiled for another month."  
  
"I just don't want to see that happen again."  
  
"It won't. She's not gonna bail on us Dom. She's not goin' anywhere this time."  
  
"Maybe you're right."  
  
"Of course I am." They both laughed. "Come on, let's go back to bed."  
  
He took her hand and followed her back to their room.  
  
Neither of them knew that Lily was awake and had been listening to their entire conversation. She couldn't believe she had caused them so much pain. "Never. I'll never leave you guys again. I just hope you'll understand."


	3. Surprises

Chapter 3

Surprises

The next morning Brian, Mia, and Vince pulled up to Dom and Letty's house. They quietly went inside, not knowing if Dom and Letty were awake yet. They saw a girl asleep on the couch. They didn't realize who it was at first, but when they saw her face Mia and Vince knew exactly who it was. "Lily!"  
  
They screamed so loud that she woke up. "What?"  
  
She looked up and saw Mia and Vince running at her. They both hugged her as hard as they could. "Oh my god! I can't believe you're here!"  
  
"I missed you guys too, but you're hugging me so tight that oxygen is becoming an issue."  
  
"Oh sorry." They let go of her and started asking her a million questions at once. "How are you? Is everything okay? Where have you been? Why are you here?"  
  
She just laughed. When she saw the man standing behind them she was in shock.  
  
Brian couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was really her. She was really there. After 7 years of wishing and hoping she was finally there.  
  
"Brian?"  
  
"Lily?"  
  
Mia and Vince were very confused. "You two know each other?"  
  
"Very well. We're brother and sister. It's been what, 7 years now?"  
  
"About that."  
  
Neither knew what to say. After a few minutes of staring at each other, Brian ran at Lily and hugged her tighter than ever, never wanting to let go. Lily returned the hug even tighter as they both started to cry.  
  
"I'm so sorry Brian."  
  
"It's okay. I understand. I know why you did it."  
  
"I didn't want to, but I..."  
  
"I know. I know."  
  
Now Mia and Vince were really confused. What had she done? Why hadn't they seen each other in 7 years? Vince was about to ask, but Mia stopped him. She knew that they would explain when they were ready to. "So Lil, what are ya doin' here?"  
  
"I'm living in Baja now. I ran into Dom last night. It was really late so he let me stay here, but now I need to go home."  
  
"Can't you stay for a while?"  
  
"I wish I could, but someone's waitin' for me."  
  
"Will you come back for dinner tonight?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Letty came downstairs and joined the conversation. "Great. The more the merrier. Hey guys."  
  
"Hey Letty."  
  
"Vince, you okay?"  
  
"I'll live. You?"  
  
"I'm doin' pretty good."  
  
Dom came downstairs and put his arms around Letty from behind. "Should we tell 'em now?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Letty's pregnant with twins."  
  
Mia rushed over to them and hugged them tightly. "This is great! I'm gonna be an aunt!"  
  
She took Letty off to the side and Brian went up to Dom. "Congrats man."  
  
"Thanks. So, you stickin' around?"  
  
"Looks like it."  
  
"Good."  
  
Lily went up to Brian. "Can you give me a ride home?"  
  
Dom got worried. "You're leavin' already?"  
  
"I'll be back later for dinner. I have a surprise for you guys."  
  
"A surprise?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise."  
  
She went outside and waited for Brian. He got his keys and followed her. When they were about to get in the car Jesse and Leon came outside. When Jesse saw that they were leaving he got sad. "Leavin' again?"  
  
"Just goin' home for a little. I'll be back for dinner."  
  
"Oh."  
  
He walked away and went into Dom and Letty's house. Leon could see how much this hurt Lily. "He'll come around. After what happened… It's just hard for him, ya know?"  
  
"Yeah, I know. See ya later Leon."  
  
"See ya."  
  
She and Brian got into the car and drove to her apartment. On the way they explained to each other how they met the team. Brian told her about his relationship with Mia, and she told him about her past relationship with Jesse. After many stories, shocks, and surprises they got to Lily's apartment. "Do you want to come up?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
She led him upstairs to her apartment. "This one's mine. You go inside. I have to go see a friend real quick. I'll be right back."  
  
"Alright." He went into her apartment while she went down the hall to see her friend. He looked around. It was a pretty nice place. A little messy, but nice. He went into the living room and saw toys on the floor. "What is Lily doing with children's toys?" He went into one of the bedrooms. There were toys and Dr. Seuss books all over the place, plus a crib in the middle of the room.  
  
Lily came up behind him. "Figured it out yet?"  
  
He turned around to see her holding a little boy in her arms.  
  
"Brian, meet your nephew, Alexander Monroe. Also known as Alex."  
  
"You have a son?"  
  
"I have a son."  
  
"Wait, Monroe? That's... Jesse's last name."  
  
"Ya noticed that huh?"  
  
"Is he..."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Does he know that?"  
  
"No. He doesn't even know I had Alex. None of them do."  
  
"Is this the surprise?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She took Alex into the living room and put the TV on for him, then led Brian to the kitchen.  
  
"How old is he?"  
  
"Almost a year old."  
  
"Why didn't you tell Jesse?"  
  
"I didn't even know until after I left."  
  
"Why didn't you go back?"  
  
"Because it's not that simple Brian. You don't know what happened. What I did. I was afraid to go back."  
  
"Afraid?"  
  
"Yes, afraid. You wouldn't understand."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"Brian, I don't want to get into this right now."  
  
"You're gonna tell him tonight, aren't you."  
  
She didn't answer.  
  
"Aren't you? Lily you have to tell him. He deserves to know."  
  
"I know. I'm just not sure if I can. He already hates me. I can't just walk up to him and say 'Guess what? I had your son almost a year ago and never told you about it. Surprise.' I mean, how do you think he's gonna react?"  
  
"If ya say it like that, I'm thinkin' really badly."  
  
"This isn't a joke Brian. I don't know what to do."  
  
"I'm sorry. Look, I think you should just tell him. Just flat out say 'Jesse, this is your son.' Don't make it so complicated. Just say it."  
  
"You're right. I should just tell him. He does deserve to know."  
  
He could see how scared she was. He went up to her and hugged her to try to comfort her. "It's gonna be okay."  
  
"I'm so glad you're here."  
  
"Me too."  
  



	4. Reactions

Chapter 4

Reactions

Brian stayed at Lily's apartment for a few hours to get to know Alex, to try to ease her mind about telling the team about Alex, and to hear more about the 7 years of her life he missed. "Well, I should get back."  
  
"Okay. I'll see ya at dinner."  
  
"See ya." He kissed her forehead and left. As he drove back he thought about how the team would react to Lily's little surprise. He just hoped that Jesse wouldn't be too angry with her, though he did have a right to be.  
  
When he got home Dom, Leon, and Vince were working on their cars in the garage, Letty was sleeping, Jesse was in the back yard, and Mia was cleaning the kitchen. When Mia saw him come in she could tell that something was wrong. "Brian, are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Did something happen with Lily?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Think you could give me more than a one word answer?"  
  
"Promise you won't tell the others?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Lily has a son."  
  
"A son?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Jesse's gonna be so upset."  
  
"Yeah, especially because he's the father."  
  
"What?!"  
  
They both turned around to see a very pissed off Jesse standing in front of Dom, Letty, Leon, and Vince, who were all shocked. 

Brian couldn't believe he let this happen. "Oh shit. Lily's gonna kill me."  
  


  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


  
Later that night Lily went to have dinner with the team. When she got out and got Alex out of his car seat she just stood in front of the house and stared at it, then she started talking to herself. "You can do this. I'll be fine. They'll understand." She finally got the courage to go inside, but what she saw was not what she expected. They were all sitting in the living room. Brian looked guilty, Jesse looked pissed, and the others looked shocked. It didn't take long for Lily to realize why they looked that way. "Thanks Brian."  
  
"I didn't mean to."  
  
"It's okay. Would you take Alex into another room while I talk to them?"  
  
"Sure." He took Alex from her and took him upstairs.  
  
Everyone was silent No one knew what to say. Lily was the first to speak. "So, on a scale of 1to10, how mad at me are you?"  
  
Letty answered. "It ain't that we're mad. We're just surprised."  
  
Jesse stood up. "Speak for yourself. How could you do this? How could you keep this from me?!"  
  
"I'm sor..."  
  
"Don't even apologize to me! I don't want to hear it! All I want to know is why! Why didn't you tell me?!"  
  
"I didn't even know until after I left!"  
  
"Why didn't you come back?! We would've taken care of you! I would've taken care of you!"  
  
"I was afraid to come back!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I was afraid you hated me!"  
  
"I wanted to! I wanted to hate you so much, but I couldn't. I couldn't hate you. You left me without giving me a single reason why and I couldn't hate you. Even now, after all this, I still can't hate you, and it's killing me. I don't…" He didn't know what to say. He just walked out of the room and went to the backyard. 

Lily just fell apart right there. 

Dom motioned for Leon and Vince to follow him and they went after Jesse. 

Letty picked Lily up off the floor, took her to the couch, and held her to comfort her. Mia rubbed her back to try to calm her. 

Brian came downstairs. When he saw how upset Lily was he ran to her and sat in front of her. "What happened?"  
  
Letty answered. "A lot."  
  


  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


  
When Dom, Leon, and Vince got to the back yard Jesse was sitting on the picnic table crying. They'd never seen Jesse cry before. They slowly walked up to him. Dom just put his hand on Jesse's shoulder to let him know that he was there. Jesse looked up at them, but said nothing. Dom gave him a sympathetic look, then hugged him, not knowing what else to do. "Hey, I've got an idea. I heard about this club in town. We should go, tonight, just us guys. What'd ya say?"  
  
"I don't know Dom."  
  
"Come on Jesse. It'll be fun."  
  
He could see there was no point in arguing. "Alright. I'll go."  
  
"Great. I'll go tell the girls.  
  
Leon, Jesse, and Vince went to their cars while Dom went inside. He peaked his head into the living room, making sure only Letty saw him. He gave her a thumbs up, then left with the guys.  
  


  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


  
After seeing Dom, Letty smiled. She let go of Lily just enough to look at her. "Hey, why don't we go out tonight? We can have a girl's night out. Just you, me, and Mia. It'll be fun."  
  
"What about Alex?"  
  
Brian stood up. "I'll watch him. Go out. Have fun. It'll be good for you."  
  
Looking at Letty's face she could see that she had no choice. "Alright. I give."  
  
"Great. Let's go."  
  
Brian stayed with Alex while the girls went to a club in town.  
  


  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


  
Dom, Jesse, Leon, and Vince went into the club.  
  
"I don't think this is such a good idea."  
  
"Oh come on Jesse. This'll be good for you. Trust me."  
  
They walked around a bit, met some people, had some drinks. Dom, Leon, and Vince did't drink too much, but after a few hours Jesse was more drunk than he's ever been.  
  


  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  


  
When Letty, Mia, and Lily got to the club Lily wanted to leave, but Mia and Letty wouldn't let her. Letty couldn't drink, Mia had a little, but after a few hours Lily was drunk as hell. On her way to the bar for another drink, she ran into a guy. "Jesse?"  
  
"Lily?"  
  
"What are you doin' here?"  
  
"What are you doin' here?"  
  
They both turned to look at Letty and Dom, but before they could say anything Dom and Letty made a quick exit. "Well, we're just… gonna go over there. See ya later." They grabbed Mia, Leon, and Vince and went across the room.  
  
Jesse and Lily just watched as they walked away. Jesse shook his head. "I can't believe they set us up."  
  
"I can." She sat down at an open table. "So, found any nice girls yet?"  
  
He sat down next to her. "None like you."  
  
"You don't mean that."  
  
"Yes I do."  
  
"You're drunk."  
  
"So are you."  
  
"True."  
  
"You are so beautiful. You always were. I can't believe I didn't do it."  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Stop you."  
  
"You couldn't stop me."  
  
"Liar. If I had asked you to stay what would you have done?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"I could've stopped you, but I didn't, and now I can't for the life of me remember why."  
  
"It doesn't matter."  
  
"It was me wasn't it? I drove you away."  
  
"No! It wasn't you Jesse. It had nothing to do with you."  
  
"Then why? Why did you leave me?"  
  
"Not now Jesse. Not while we're both drunk."  
  
"Are you ever gonna tell me?"  
  
"I don't know. You can't ask me questions like that when I'm drunk."  
  
"Fine."  
  
He got up and put his hand out for Lily to take. She was very confused. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Well, if we're not gonna talk we might as well dance."  
  
She hesitated.  
  
"Come on Lily. For old times' sake?"  
  
"Alright." She took his hand and followed him to the dance floor. 

They danced together for hours. After a while they ended up making out. Then they decided to go. They had to walk because Dom and Letty took their car keys. The others stayed at the club to give them some time alone. When they got home they went into the garage. Brian's car was the only one in it.  
  
"I miss working on cars with you guys. I still have mine, but I don't get to work on it much, plus I have to watch Alex every second so it's hard to pay attention. It's just not the same without you guys."  
  
"Well, now that you're back you can work with us again. Be part of the team again."  
  
"Why do I get the feeling you're gonna change your mind about that when you sober up?"  
  
"Just because I'm mad at you don't mean you're not still part of the team. That'll never change no matter what you do."  
  
"But everything else has changed. I've ruined so much. I may look tough on the outside, but on the inside I'm terrified. I don't know what I'm doing anymore Jesse."  
  
He went up to her and kissed her. She was very surprised. "And apparently neither do you."  
  
"I love you Lily."  
  
"You're even more drunk than I thought."  
  
"Just because I'm drunk doesn't mean it's not true. I never stopped loving you, and I never will."  
  
He started kissing her neck. "Jesse… I don't… we shouldn't."  
  
But she couldn't stop herself, or him.


	5. Letting Go of the Past

Chapter 5

Letting Go of The Past

The next morning Dom came downstairs to see everyone, except Lily and Jesse, sitting in the living room looking very worried. "What's goin' on?"

"Jesse and Lily didn't come home last night. Their cars are still in the driveway, but they're not here."

"Okay, Letty, Mia, stay here and watch Alex. Call my cell if they come back. Guys, let's go look for 'em."

The guys went outside to their cars. Brian opened the garage door, then quickly shut it again and turned to the others. "I found 'em."

"What'd ya mean ya found 'em?"

"They're in the garage. Asleep and… naked."

"Uh oh."

"Yeah. You think we should wake 'em?"

"Nah. Let 'em sleep."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few hours later Jesse woke up and looked around to try to figure out where he is. He saw Brian's car and realized that he was in the garage. He suddenly remembered what had happened the night before. "Oh shit!" He looked around but Lily wasn't there. He got dressed and wenr inside. Leon and Vince were in the living room playing video games. "Have you guys seen Lily?"

"She left a few hours ago."

Brian came in.  "She left this for you." He handed Jesse a letter from Lily. "And Jesse, if you hurt my baby sister I'm gonna have to hurt you."

"Thanks for the warning."

He went up to his room and sat down on the bed, then opened the letter.

_Dear Jesse, _

_Some night huh?__ I'm not sorry, and hope you're not. I have many regrets in my life, but leaving all of you is the worst. It was stupid. I can't tell you why I did it, not yet, but I wish I hadn't done it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not telling you about Alex. I should have. I want you to be part of his life, but I'm not gonna force you into anything. I really want to be part of both of our lives. My address is at the bottom. If you want, come over and we can talk, but if you don't want to that's fine. I love you Jesse. I always have, and no matter what, I always will. _

_                                                                                       Love, _

_                                                                                        Lily_

Jesse didn't know what to think. Could he just forgive her for what she had done? What should he do? All he knew was that even through all this, he still loved her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lily was cleaning up Alex's toys in the living room while he took a nap. There was a knock at the door. "Coming." She opened the door and was shocked to see Jesse standing in front of her. "Well, you're the last person I expected to be at my door."

Jesse didn't know what to say. "You said to come."

"And I meant it. I just didn't expect you to come so soon. Come in." She moved to the side and he came in. "Do you want something to drink? I don't have any coronas, but I have Pepsi."

"Do you have any aspirin to go with that? I still have a headache from last night."

"Me too."She got 2 Pepsis out of the fridge and a bottle of aspirin out of the cupboard. "I am never gonna drink like that again."

"Ditto."

She handed him the aspirin and took some herself. Neither knew what to say.

"So, where's Alex?"

"Taking a nap."

Jesse picked up a picture of Alex from the counter.

"He looks so much like you Lily."

"He looks more like you."

"Why did you leave?"

Lily didn't know what to say. "Jesse…"

"Don't do the run-around Lily. Why?"

"Come here." She led him to her bedroom and got something out of her dresser. "Here."  She handed him a picture.

"What's this?"

"That was my family. Me, Brian, my mom, and my dad. It was my 10th birthday. The last good one I had until I met you guys."

"What'd ya mean 'was' your family?"

"There's a lot about me you still don't know. Sit down."

They sat down on the bed. "A little while after my 10th birthday my dad started drinking. I don't even know why. It wasn't too bad at first, but he started drinking more and more. He got angry really easily, especially with me and mom. One night Brian and I were outside playing around and we heard a crash. It sounded like glass breaking. Then we heard yelling coming from the kitchen. We went inside to see what was going on."

Jesse could tell she was trying very hard not to cry.

"My mom was on the floor, crying, with her hands over her face. My dad was standing over her, yelling and screaming. Then… he hit her. I didn't want to watch, but I couldn't look away. Neither could Brian. My dad saw us and told us to go back outside, but I couldn't move. I couldn't believe this was happening. Brian grabbed me and pulled me outside. We could still hear him yelling. We could still hear her screaming." She could no longer hold back her tears. "I closed my eyes so tight. Brian pulled me close to him and covered my ears, but I could still hear it."

Jesse wanted to hold her close and never let go, but he didn't, because something told him there was more to this story.

"A few weeks later I got up in the middle of the night 'cause I heard something outside. I went to the driveway and saw my mom putting some things in her car. I asked her where she was going. She said she was just going for a drive and she'd be back soon. I watched her drive away and I waited for her to come back. I sat on the porch and waited. The sun came up and I still waited. Brian came outside. He was crying. I heard dad inside yelling and throwing things. That's when I knew… that she wasn't coming back. My dad blamed me, then he… punished me."

Jesse couldn't believe it. All the scars on her back, arms, and around her ribs that she would never explain, it was him.

"That was just the first time. After that he found any excuse he could. It was almost like he… enjoyed it."

Jesse was getting very angry. 'How could he do this to her? How could anyone hurt my girl? I would love to pound this guy!'

"He never hit Brian because he could hit back. Brian always tried to protect me, but sometimes he couldn't. When I turned 16 and I got my drivers license I packed my things and drove away. I only got a few miles away when I turned around and went back. I couldn't leave without Brian. When I got back my dad was in the living room. He had noticed that I left. He had a bat in his right hand. He hit me 3 times, in the ribs, shoulder, and back. He was gonna hit me again, this time in the head, but I grabbed the bat and I… I hit him back. I had never been able to hit him before. He fell to the floor, unconscious. I just stared at him for a minute, then I quickly wrote Brian a note saying that I was sorry, but I had to go, and I drove away."

Now Jesse was in tears. He had no idea she had been through so much.

"2 years ago I got a call from an old friend who was living in Florida. She said that she saw my mom there." She paused. "I had to know why she lied to me. Why she didn't take me and Brian with her."

"So you went to find her."

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you just tell me that? I would've understood. I would've helped you."

"I didn't tell you because it was stupid. It was a stupid thing to do, a stupid reason to leave and I knew that, but I did it anyway. I never even found her, and I realized that I don't want to. I hate her! I hate what she did! And I hate that I became like her! I left. I left Brian; I left you, just like her!"

"No! You are not like her!" He lifted her face and made her look into his eyes. "You came back Lily. You could've left again after Dom brought you home, but you didn't. You stayed. And it wasn't stupid to go looking for your mom. I get it now."

"Does that mean you forgive me?"

He gave her a deep, passionate kiss. "What do you think?"

She laughed and kisses him again. They laid down on the bed and fell asleep in each other's arms just as they used to. Lily heard Alex crying in the middle of the night. She went to his room and brought him back to her room. When she came back in Jesse was awake.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine."

She sat down next to Jesse and put Alex in her lap. Alex reached his arms out to Jesse showing that he wanted Jesse to hold him.

"Dada!"

Jesse was very surprised. "How does he know?"

"I've told him about you and shown him pictures. I guess he recognizes you."

Jesse took Alex into his arms and held him tight. "Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Move in with us."

"What?"

"There's plenty of room. Both houses are huge. Mia and Brian can move in with Dom and Letty and still have room for the twins and then some. Then you and Alex can move in with me, Leon, and Vince, and we'll still have extra room too. It'll be perfect."

"Are you sure they won't mind?"

"Are you kidding? They'd do anything for you."

"Well…"

"Please!"

"Alright."

"Yes!"

She laughed.

"I love you Lily."

"I love you too." 


	6. A Warning

Chapter 6

A Warning

A week later everyone was moved around. Mia and Brian were living with Dom and Letty, and Lily and Alex were living with Jesse, Leon, and Vince.

One morning Lily woke up and got dressed. All the boys were still asleep. She tried to shake Jesse, but he just ignored her. 

She went over to Leon's room. "Leon, get outta bed! Leon!" He just rolled over. 

She went to Vince's room. "V, get up! Vince, get your ass up!" No one would get up. "Okay boys. You asked for it."

She got Alex and took him over to Mia. "Mia, can you watch him for a second?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

She went back to her house, got a big boom box, and took it upstairs. She opened Jesse, Leon, and Vince's bedroom doors, turned the volume on the boom box all the way up, and started blasting "Superstar" by Saliva. All three of them jumped out of bed and stumbled into the hallway. 

"Morin' boys."

They gave her death glares and ran at her. She ran downstairs and over to Dom's house. He was in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Whoa, what's goin' on?"

"They're gonna kill me!"

She ran behind Dom as Leon, Jesse, and Vince came running in.

"What'd she do?"

"She woke us up by blasting music in our ears."

He looked over his shoulder at Lily. "Did you do that?"

"Yep."

"Nice."

Mia came in and handed Alex to Lily. "What's goin' on in here?"

"Leon, Jesse, and Vince are tryin' to kill Lily."

"Is that so?"

"Yep."

She got right in their faces. "I just cleaned this floor last night. I swear to god if you get blood on it yours will be there next."

"Ye… yes… ma'am."

Satisfied that she scared the shit out of them she went back upstairs. 

Leon looked at Lily. "You have to come home sometime."

"And you need to get home now boxer boys."

They looked down and realized that all three of them were only in their boxers. They ran back home as Lily and Dom laughed their heads off.

Later that night Lily and Jesse came into Dom's house after leaving Alex with Lily's friend. Everyone was in the living room waiting for them.

"You guys ready to go?"

"Yep."

"Let's go."

They all got in their cars and went to the races. Letty rode with Dom, Mia rode with Brian, Lily rode with Jesse, and Vince rode with Leon. When they got there they parked their cars and sat on the hoods.

"So Lily, what's the 411? Who's good around here?"

She pointed to a short Mexican man. "That's Alberto. He's not bad, but you guys could probably beat him." Next she pointed to a white guy surrounded by racer skanks.  "That's Joe. He could give you a run for your money, though he doesn't race much. He's a great mechanic, owns his own garage. He's kinda the informant around here. He knows pretty much everything about everyone. He always knows what's goin' on, even if no one tells him. He's a buddy of mine. His sister Suzie baby sits Alex a lot. They're both great." Then she pointed to a tall Mexican guy who just pulled up. "That's Juan. Cocky as hell. He thinks he's so great, but he really isn't."

Juan walks over to them. "Hey Lily."

"Hi Juan."

"So, how've ya been?"

He was slowly getting closer to her. He was obviously trying to hit on her. Jesse put his arms around her from behind. "She's been fine."

Juan completely ignored Jesse. "You racin' tonight?"

"Sorry Juan. I'll have to kick your ass next week. My car's in the shop."

"Damn. Any of your buddies racin'?"

Dom looked at Lily. "Should I?"

"Hell yeah."

Juan got in his car and Dom got in his. They drove to the starting line. Juan stuck his head out the window. "Lily, I want a victory kiss when I win!"

She went up to Dom. "Kick him off his high horse. Please!"

"Not a problem."

10 seconds later the race was over. Dom won. Juan went over to Lily. "Now I need a kiss to make me feel better."

"Juan, let me see if I can make you understand. You see the tall blond guy over there?" She pointed at Brian. "That's my big brother. He's very protective of me. And see the guy next to him?" She pointed at Jesse. "That's my boyfriend, and the father of my son. He loves me, a lot. Now see the 3 guys around them?" She pointed at Dom, Vince, and Leon. "They're like big brothers to me, and they're also very protective of me. So unless you want all 5 of them to come over here and kick your ass, you might want to back off."

"See ya around." He quickly left. 

Lily smiled. "Finally." She went over to where the others were. Jesse put his arm around her waist as they watched Dom lift Letty into the air in victory. When he put her down, Dom got up on the very top of his car.

"Alright, settle down people! I got somethin' to say!" He looks at Brian and Leon. They nodded and went up to Letty. They grabbed her and lifted her up onto the hood of Dom's car. Dom took her hand and helped her up to the top of the car.

"Dom, what's goin' on?"

"Letty, you are the most amazing thing in my life. Everything I have, everything I can do, it means nothing without you by my side. I love you Letty. I know sometimes I don't show it all that well, but I do. I want the whole world to know." He turned to the crowd and yelled. "I love this girl!"

Letty laughed as he turned back to her.

"I can't imagine ever being with anyone else." He got down on one knee and took a small jewelry box out of his pocket. "Letty, will you marry me?"

Her face looked very pissed off. "No."

Everyone was shocked, especially Dom. He couldn't believe she said no, but then her pissed off look faded away. She kneeled in front of him so she was face-to-face with him and smiled. "Just kidding. Of course I'll marry you."

He laughed and kissed her. The crowd cheered. Dom looked her right in the eye. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

They got down off his car and their friends congratulated them.

"Nice Dom."

"That was great."

"Congrats guys."

Brian looked at Mia. "I hope you realize there's no way I'm toppin' that."

They all laughed. Suddenly a group of 4 cars drove up. Many racer skanks crowded around the leader as he got out of his car. Dom turned to Lily. "Who's that?"

"That's Jimmy James. Also known as J.J. He's one of the best racers around. He's also the biggest bad-ass around."

"Really?"

"I didn't mean that as a challenge Dom."

He wasn't even listening. He was watching J.J. 

She grabbed his arms and forced him to turn and look at her. "Please listen to me Dom. You do not want to screw with this guy. With him when you lose you lose, when you win you really lose. He gets very pissed off when someone beats him. He just kicks the shit outta the person and takes back what they won. The last guy that beat him is in the hospital right now. The guy before that can't drive with his left hand anymore. The only reason he's not in jail is because everyone's too afraid to turn him in. Please Dom, please stay away from him."

"Okay."

"Thank you." 


	7. Sacrifice

Chapter 7

Sacrifice

The next morning Lily, Jesse, and Alex went over to Dom's house. "Hello, anybody home?"

"We're upstairs!"

Jesse took Alex upstairs. Lily saw Dom's coat on the floor and picked it up. A small card fell out of the pocket. It had an address on it. She turned it over. It was a business card, for J.J's garage. "Oh shit." She put it in her pocket and went upstairs.  "Hey guys."

"Hey Lily."

"I wish I could stay, but I have to go."

Jesse turned to face her. "Where?"

"Joe ordered some parts for my car. I have to go pick them up."

"Okay, see ya later."

"Bye."

She gave him a kiss, then drove to Joe's garage. When she got there he was underneath his car. She kicked his foot to get his attention.

"Ow! Who…" He got out from under his car to see who kicked him. "Oh, hi Lily."

"Hey Joe. Those parts come in yet?"

"Not yet, but that's not really why you're here is it?"

"No. I need to know if J.J's planning on racing anyone anytime soon."

"I haven't heard anything."

"If you do can you let me know?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

She left and went back home

***1:30 am***

Lily was asleep in Jesse's arms when her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Lily, it's Joe."

"Joe, do you know what time it is?"

"Your boy Dom is gonna race J.J in an hour."

"Shit. I knew it."

"I couldn't find out where, but I know the race is at 2:30."

"I have the address. Thanks Joe."

"No problem. And Lily, don't do anything stupid."

"You know me."

"That's why I said it."

She hung up the phone and quietly slipped out of bed and got dressed. She left a note for Jesse saying she couldn't sleep and went for a drive. Then she went over to Dom's house. She went into his room, careful not to wake him or Letty, and took his car keys. She just stared at him for a moment, thinking of all the good times they've had together. "You protected me, now I have to protect you." She lightly kissed his forehead and left. She took his car and drove to the address on the card she found in Dom's jacket. J.J was already there.

"Well well. I wasn't expecting you Lily. I'm supposed to be racing your buddy."

"Well you're racing me instead."

"Oh really?"

He was trying to intimidate her, but she stood her ground. "Yeah. Dom is no part of this anymore."

"I have always wondered about you. Okay, it's just you and me then."

"I want to make it clear that whatever happens here is on me, not him." She was scared to death about how this could end, but she couldn't let Dom get hurt. 

"It's all on you. I got it."

"What're we racing for?"

"5g's"

"You got it."

She took out the money and gave it to one of J.J's guys. They lined up on the starting line. The race started. J.J pulled ahead. Lily tried to make it look like she was trying to beat him, but really that wasn't what she planned to do. She knew she had only one option. She had to let him win. When the race ended, and J.J won, he got out of his car looking very pissed off.

"What the hell was that?"

"What'd ya mean?"

"You know what I mean Lily. You let me win." 

"No I didn't."

"Don't bullshit me girl!" Now he was getting very angry. He and his gang were surrounding her. "I don't like it when people screw with me like this."

"She knew what was going to happen. She was just glad it wasn't Dom.

*** ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

Dom woke up at 2 am to leave for the race, but when he went to get his keys they weren't there. He looked out the window and saw that his car was gone. Letty, Mia, and Brian, were still in bed, so they couldn't have taken it. He quietly went over to Lily's house. He saw that Vince and Leon were still in bed, but when he got to Jesse and Lily's room Lily wasn't there. He thought to himself, 'Why would see take my car? We fixed hers. Unless…' He reached into his pocket and realized that the card J.J had given him wasn't there. 'Oh no.' He went over to Jesse and shook him awake. "Jesse, get up man!"

He went over to Vince and Leon's rooms. "Get your ass's up guys! Hurry up!" 

Jesse came out into the hall half asleep. "What going on Dom?"

"I think Lily may be in trouble."

That woke them all up. "What? Why?"

He told them about his plan to race J.J. They were mad, but all they cared about at the time was saving Lily. They got Brian and Letty and went to the address J.J had given Dom. Mia stayed home with Alex. Dom wanted Letty to stay home too, but she wouldn't.

When they got there J.J and his gang were beating the shit out of Lily. J.J even had a bat in his hand. Lily was laying on the ground in a pool of blood.

"Hey! Leave her alone asshole!"

"Well, you finally decided to show up. You know, this never would've happened if you had come."

Dom lunged at J.J and everyone else went after his buddies. Letty was afraid to fight because someone could hit her in the stomach and hurt the twins, so she just went over to Lily, pulled her away from the fighting, and checked to see if she was alright.

J.J finally got away from Dom and ran to his car. "Let's get outta here!" He and his gang quickly drove off. 

As soon as they were gone the team ran over to Lily. Jesse knelt down beside her and looked up at Letty. "Is she alright?"

Letty's face worried everyone. "She's bleeding from her head and she unconscious. She's still breathing, but barely."

"Someone call 911."

Brian took out his cell phone and called 911.

Jesse gently took Lily's hand in his. "Lily, wake up. Come on baby wake up. Please. You can't leave me Lily. You can't leave me."

When the ambulance came Jesse rode with Lily to the hospital, and the team followed close behind. Brian called Mia to tell her what happened. She dropped Alex off with one of Lily's friends and met them at the hospital.

When the team ran into the hospital Jesse was in the waiting room staring at the door the doctors had taken Lily through. He turned around when he heard them come up behind him. He went right up to Dom and did something no one ever expected him to do. He punched Dom hard in the face. "How could you! This is all your fault!"

Leon grabbed him before he could hit Dom again. "Jess, calm down man! Come on, let's go." He dragged Jesse down the hall and took him for a walk to cool him off.

Letty helped Dom up off the floor and looked at his eye where Jesse had punched him. He was already getting a bruise. 

Next Mia got up in his face. "He's right you know. It is your fault! If you hadn't been such a dumb ass this wouldn't have happened! Do you ever listen?! She told you to stay away from him! Now she could die because of your stupid pride!"

"Mia stop!"

She turned to see Brian's tear stained face. He was trying very hard to keep it together, but it was getting harder by the minute. 

"Please stop."

She could see that everything she was saying was just making him more upset. She went over to him and hugged him tightly. 

Dom started to walk towards him. "Brian…"

"Don't Dom. I don't even want to hear it."

Dom could see that Brian would love to hit him too if it would make any difference, but it wouldn't. Dom started walked down the hall. As soon as he turned the corner so the others couldn't see him he broke down and cried harder than he ever had, even when his father died. 

Letty followed him and saw him fall apart. She ran to him and held him close. 

"What have I done Letty? What have I done?"

She lifted his face to make him look at her. "Dom, this is not your fault. Yes, it was stupid for you to try to race him after Lily told you not to, but she choose to go there. She chose to take your place. She knew what she was getting into, but she did it anyway because that's the way she is. This was not your fault. It was not your fault."

*** ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

Hours later the whole team was sitting in the waiting room still waiting to hear if Lily was okay. Leon was trying to keep Jesse calm, Mia was trying to comfort Brian, and Dom and Letty were just trying to keep each other from breaking down again. Finally they saw the doctor come down the hall.

"She's going to be fine. Her left arm is broken, she has 3 broken ribs, and a pretty big bruise on her head, but she'll be okay."

"Thank god."

Jesse stood up. "Can I see her?"

"She's still unconscious, but sure you can see her." The doctor had a nurse take Jesse to Lily's room.

When he went in and saw her he almost starting crying right there. Her left arm  was in a sling, she had a black eye, a split lip, a huge bruise above her left eye, and he knew there were more bruises under her hospital gown. He sat down next to the bed and gently took her hand in his. "You really scared us baby. We thought we were gonna lose you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. I need you. So does Alex. I can't raise him alone. He needs his mommy. So no more heroics, okay? You probably can't even hear me, but I'm just gonna talk to ya anyway."

Suddenly he felt her hand lightly squeeze his, then she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey Lily. How ya feeling baby?"

"Who are you?"


End file.
